Octo House
by Sovereign and Unbroken
Summary: When four octolings wash up in the subway, unable to remember anything but a song and a familiar face, they wind up in Squidbeak Splatoon's custody. Both pressured and assisted by Off the Hook, Squidbeak Splatoon sets out to help their brand new octosquad acclimate to a new world.
1. Chapter 1

Looking out over a newly-saved Inkopolis, Agent Three couldn't help but feel something wistful tug at his heartstrings. _This_ was what being an Agent was all about. Fighting hard, kicking octo-ass, and saving the day while the oblivious citizens of Inkopolis went on with their lives.

It just so happened that Three had been unconscious for the finale, a fact that irked him to no end. From what the Cap'n told him, it was really _something_. _Explosions! Acrobatics! An impressive finisher packed with style and substance!_ The whole ordeal sounded a little familiar, even if the scale was a little… Bigger, this time around. Everything that had happened before he knocked himself out was there, if a little fuzzy; the struggle that led to him getting separated from the Cap'n, exploring that crazy facility, his timely discovery of the Cap'n and his new protege, and then… _The incident_. Three shivered at how stupid he made himself look, even if he had no other choice. _Seriously, who the hell manages to knock themselves out like that?_

The entire ordeal going through his head, Agent Three glanced back at Agent Eight and noticed that she was staring off into the sea. With a sigh, he stood and stepped over to her. She either didn't notice or didn't care about his approach and so he gently cleared his throat. Agent Eight blinked and turned to him.

"A sight for sore eyes, eh?" Three asked, inclining his head towards the sea.

"It's… Breathtaking." Eight said after a moment. Her hand slowly drifted over her heart. "More beautiful than I could have ever imagined."

Three had a quip lined up and ready, something about Octarians and bad imagination, but he figured, given the circumstances, it was better to bite his tongue. _And they say I never learn._ Instead, he simply nodded, arms crossed.

"You've come a long way, just to see the sunset." Three said idly. "With that out of your way… What're you going to do now?"

Agent Eight immediately looked unsure. Her captivated look was replaced with a concerned one. "I… I'm not sure. I just want to live a normal life, but… I guess I don't know what that truly means."

"She can do whatever she wants!" Pearl barked, appearing between Three and Eight suddenly enough to throw Three off his balance. "She's conquered the underground, and now she's bustin' out onto Inkopolis' streets!"

Marina was suddenly beside Pearl and Eight, looking very adamant. "We'll help her. And all the octolings that might come to Inkopolis. Nobody can deny them the lives they deserve."

Feeling outnumbered and a little flustered, Agent Three took a step away from the group, almost afraid of the shove that would send him hurtling to his doom.

"Now's not the time for fightin', not since we just got done writin', history with Mister Three!"

All eyes settled on Cap'n Cuttlefish. Agent Three peered over the edge of the platform they were all perched on, and wondered if the crashing waves below weren't a better fate than listening to the Cap'n try to rap.

"Look," Three said defensively, hands spread in supplication, "I'm not trying to deport anybody or anything. Taking care of Octarians is kind of my job, inside Octo-Valley or out." He gestured to Agent Eight and inclined his head at her. "If she wants to stay in Inkopolis, that's great. All the octolings can stay. Diversity and all that. But we've got to get her acclimated, do a ton of paperwork, probably get her a wellness checkup, and plenty of other crap."

"We got that," Pearl said quickly, arms crossed.

"Yeah, we can handle all of that," Marina added. "I could get through all of that paperwork right now."

Rubbing his neck sheepishly, Three looked at his feet. " _Weeeelllll…_ Ya see, One and Two might have a problem with that."

* * *

Just as Three had predicted, Agents One and Two were waiting for them at the landing pad, loaded for bear and seeming more than a little pissed. It had been a _long_ time since Three had seen either of them, and he was almost upset that the reunion was overshadowed by the events of the mission.

"Callie, Marie?" Pearl gasped. " _You're_ Agents One and Two?"

"You didn't realize that..?" Marina asked quietly, though not quietly enough. "They're the Cap'n's granddaughters, after all…"

Three put his face in his hands as he stepped off the helicopter platform. He gave Callie and Marie a lazy salute and prepared to explain the situation as best he could.

"Mission complete," Three began, "though not without complications." Gesturing at Agent Eight, he continued. "I give you the savior of Inkopolis, Agent Eight."

"Isn't that supposed to be your job?" Callie asked, stabbing a finger into Three's chest. "What the hell happened down there, Three?"

"Language!" the Cap'n snapped, wagging his cane in the air. "Just because my lyrics are fresh doesn't mean your language needs to be!"

"What about Agents Five through Seven..?" Marie asked.

Three had a creeping suspicion that she was talking to herself, but that raised another question. "Wait, there's an Agent Four?"

"Irrelevant," Callie said, shaking her head. "Don't ask about _anything_ that happened while you were gone; you don't have the right!" She stabbed her finger back into Three's chest. "Now, answer my question, Three! What happened down there?"

"Actually," Marina interrupted, as she thumbed her phone, "I can send you the full video recording taken from Agent Eight's perspective, if that would help."

Callie put her face in her hand for a moment before smiling beatifically. "Thank you very much, Marina. That would help a lot. We'd like to debrief everyone involved in this whole debacle, including the both of you if that's okay."

"I'm down," Pearl said, immediately.

"Same. Whatever we can do to help you and Agent Eight," Marina added.

"Great. If everyone will come with us, we can get this over with."

The atmosphere had lightened significantly since Three had stepped off the helicopter, and he breathed a sigh of relief. It felt as though he had been holding his breath for that whole exchange. Thinking about it, he realized that Agent Eight hadn't said a word the entire time, and when he looked at her, she seemed a little out of it. Coming up beside her, he lightly tapped her shoulder.

"You doing alright? Callie and Marie can be a bit much sometimes."

Agent Eight looked concerned for a moment, but she managed to smile and nod. "I'm doing okay, I think. Thank you. I wasn't expecting my first meeting with them to go quite that way, though."

Three couldn't help but smile. He nodded back. "Yeah, they tend to take over the conversation. It's just me, but I like to just let the pop stars do all the talking, you know?" Dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, he jerked a thumb towards Pearl and Marina. " _Especially when there's four of them instead of two_."

Eight cracked a smile and giggled. "I'll keep that in mind."

Feeling proud for having gotten a laugh out of an Octarian, Three couldn't help but grin. Blinking, he realized something. "Hang on a sec, I don't think I ever got your name."

Eight looked almost flustered. "Oh, forgive me. I'm Polyp Yown."

Agent Three stuck out his hand, and after a moment, Agent Eight, _Polyp_ , reached out and tentatively shook it. "Welcome to Squidbeak Splatoon, Polyp. I'm Lucky. Lucky Charm."

* * *

Lucky leaned against the doorway, arms crossed as he let himself brood. Just through the door, all the important people sat, going over the details of the past few days. Callie had asked Lucky for his side of the story first, strangely enough. And then she had kicked him out. He should have figured something was up, and now, he was being put in the corner.

At first, he was almost fuming at the sheer _gall_ Callie had. He had calmed down significantly since then and had spent his time thinking. Lucky could have admitted defeat. He could have gone home and visited his parents like a responsible young man. He could have given up, turned in his gear, got a real job, and left all of this to the _real_ heroes. There were plenty of things Lucky _could_ have done.

Instead, he decided to wait. When that meeting was over, he was going to give Callie the earful of her life. Or not. It all sort of depended on how spiteful he was feeling by that point in time.

It was still a _total_ toss-up.

At least, until a figure came down the stairs, and trotting down the hallway towards him. She was dressed in all yellow, wearing an _incredibly_ familiar uniform.

"No way…" Lucky muttered, standing straight to greet her.

"Hey! I heard about everything that was going on; sorry I'm late!" she slowed to a stop a few paces in front of him and put her hands on her hips. She looked Lucky dead in the eyes. Hers were bright yellow, almost glittering like gold. "Is everyone inside already?"

Lucky gave her a nod. "Yeah, talking about the whole underground escapade. How much do you know?"

"Not much," she replied eventually. "Agent Three and Cap'n Cuttlefish went to _the cape_ , wherever that is, they've been gone a long time, they just got back with _a lot_ of friends…"

Lucky couldn't help but grin. "Sounds about right. You Agent Four?"

"Sure am!"

 _Damn, this one's chipper._

Lucky stuck his arm out. "I'm Lucky Charm."

Four didn't hesitate to shake his hand, and she shook vigorously. "Renette Deibol! Or Agent Four, I guess; whatever works." She waited a long moment, a wide smile on her face. Her smile shrank eventually, and her eyes narrowed. "So, um, who're you?" She waved suddenly, as if batting a thought away. "I mean, I know _who_ you are, Lucky, but, like, _why_ are you here?"

"Oh, I work here."

Renette eyed Lucky suspiciously. "You do..?"

"Yeah! Actually, believe it or not, I've worked here longer than you. I was, ah, _away_ , when you got recruited." Lucky smirked and threw his arms out wide. "I'm Agent Three!"

Renette's eyes lit up. " _Really?!_ Ohmygosh, I've wanted to meet you for so long! I have so much to ask you!" She clapped her hands giddily. "Was it the Cap'n who first recruited you? How long have you been doing this? How many octarians have you splatted?" She leaned close as her voice dropped to a whisper. " _Is Marie mean to you, too?_ "

Lucky laughed and took a step away, placing his back to the wall once more. "Oh, wow. Uh, in order; Yes, a few years, more than I can count, and _definitely_. She's like that to _everybody_."

"Oh, thank goodness! I thought she didn't like me." After a moment, Renette's cheeks colored. "Oh, um, I mean, I guess-"

"Don't worry about it," Lucky said, waving her concerns away. "Marie's kind of got this… This _thing_ , where she likes to crush all sources of positivity around her." Pausing, Lucky wagged a finger in her direction. "Actually, you kinda remind me of Callie, and-"

"Oh, Marie tells me that all the time!" Renette interrupted, bouncing in place. "Though she's never really… _positive_ about it. I mean, I'm like her cousin, the famous Squid Sister, pop star extraordinaire!"

"-And Callie's kind of got this thing, where she's usually bursting with energy, and Marie siphons that energy off of her and uses it to be mean to everyone around her."

Renette looked almost embarrassed. "Oh. I guess I, uh, kind of see that."

"Really, I wouldn't worry about it." Lucky jerked a thumb towards the door behind him. "You supposed to be in there?"

"I don't think so?" Renette replied, though it was a question and not an answer. "They called me when that huge thing showed up in the bay, but I was _nowhere_ near an Agency access point, so I had to go _all the way_ across the city to get down here, and then the thing blew up, and then _you guys_ showed up, and then I finally got here, and now here I am!" Renette was quiet for a long moment - _finally breathing_ , Lucky thought - before she stared hard at the door. "What's going on in there, anyway?"

"Debriefing everyone involved," Lucky said with a shrug.

"Um… Weren't _you_ involved?" Renette inquired.

Lucky grinned and shrugged again. "Something like that." With a shake of his head, he continued. "I already gave my side of the story, so Callie kicked me out. I was gonna leave, but I think I want to have a word with someone after they're done." Whispering, he added "Plus, seeing me hanging around might piss Callie off."

"Oh." was all Renette managed.

Lucky was shocked. The girl finally seemed like she had run out of energy, but he was willing to bet that wasn't true. He gave her a few moments of silence.

"So, I hear you got recruited right after the Cap'n and I left," Lucky said.

"Yup!" Renette replied, nodding energetically. Her previous silence had been entirely dispelled. "Just after Callie and Marie started their solo careers."

"Sooo… Let's say a certain Agent wanted to know all the juiciest details about what happened while he was underground…" Lucky trailed off for a moment, gauging Renette's reaction. "Let's say he wanted to know all this _strictly_ off the books. Would you know someone who could tell him everything he needed to know?"

"Oh, sure! I'll tell you all about it, but you have to promise to tell me about your first adventure in Octo-Valley!" Renette replied, not hesitating. "Callie and Marie always seem to downplay how much you did, but if it was anything like what _I_ did, it was _a ton_!"

"Yeah, sounds like something they'd do while I was gone," Lucky shook his head. "Yeah, deal. We can get the whole crew together and talk about our exploits, eh?" Renette looked a little confused at _crew_ , but Lucky continued anyway. "But first, you gotta tell me… Callie _really_ didn't want me to know about what happened. What happened?"

Renette looked momentarily concerned. She shook herself off and leaned in close. "Well, you see… After Marie's single beat Callie's in sales, Callie decided to take some time off. The thing is, she just kind of… Disappeared after that."

"You don't say." Lucky murmured. "Marie beat Callie, huh? Go on."

"So, you'll never guess what happened to her."

"Octarians."

"Bingo! DJ Octavio got his tentacles on a pair of mind-control sunglasses, and he got them on Callie. They did, like, an evil collab-album, or something…" Pausing for a moment, Renette tapped her finger to her chin. "I'm actually not too sure what he was trying to accomplish, but, anyway! Marie and I managed to knock the glasses off of her, and we locked Octavio back up."

Lucky let out a low, long whistle. "Wow. Not gonna lie, that kinda beats my stories, just in terms of ridiculousness. _Evil collab-album_. That's something."

"Want to know the _worst_ thing though?"

"Is it about Callie?" Lucky asked. When Renette gave him a nod, he stood straight and put his hands on her shoulders. "If you tell me, I'll be your _best friend_."

"After we freed her from the sunglasses…" Stopping for a second, she peered over Lucky's shoulder, and then around the hallway, before leaning in towards Lucky. "She _put them back on_."

"No way. You're lying to me."

"I swear. She got mind-controlled again, freed Octavio, and they went back to Octo-Canyon. When Marie and I went to find them, they were doing a live-showed for a bunch of Octarians. We crashed the show and put everyone back where they belong. _Again_. We asked Callie what she was doing, and she said that she just _'wanted to see what would happen'_."

Lucky couldn't even laugh. He desperately _wanted_ to, but couldn't. "That's amazing. Damn it, that's actually amazing. I want to say I can't believe it, but I _totally can_."

"Marie was _super_ mad at her. The only other person I've heard string together _that_ many curse-words in one sentence is Pearl."

"Thank you," Lucky said, putting his face in his hands. "Thanks for that. I totally owe you one."

"Just don't let Callie know I told you, okay?" Renette replied, glancing around, looking almost scared. "She got _really_ mad the last time I brought it up."

Lucky mimed a zipper across his lips and tossed it away. "Not a peep out of me. What's a little secret between Agents, right?"

Renette grinned. She gave a quick nod. "Right!"

The door to the conference room opened suddenly, and Lucky and Renette both turned as _everyone_ shuffled out of the room. Callie and Marie came first, with the former shooting Lucky a dirty look as they passed. The Cap'n hobbled after them, mumbling something about _features_. Pearl and Marina were next, both looking rather pleased, though Lucky couldn't imagine what about. Polyp followed after them, impassive as ever.

"Eight, hold up a second," Lucky said, falling in step behind her.

Polyp stopped, turning to face Lucky. Pearl and Marina both stopped with her, their pleasant expressions gone. Pearl seemed ready to throw down, and Marina looked concerned, although Lucky wasn't sure who that concern was for. Renette sidled up beside Lucky, a curious look on her face.

"Eight? Like, Agent Eight? How did-"

Renette was interrupted as Callie swooped her up, taking her by the shoulder and guiding her out of earshot, muttering something about lateness and endangerment.

"What do you need, Lucky?" Polyp asked.

"Yeah. Whaddya want?" Pearl echoed, arms crossed and chest puffed up.

"What can we do for you, Agent Three?" Marina added, sounding considerably less confrontational than Pearl.

"I'd like to talk to Eight alone, actually," Lucky replied.

Both Pearl and Marina made to protest, but Polyp raised a hand to appease them.

"It's okay," she said evenly. "we'll just be a moment." She looked between Lucky and the two pop stars. "Right, Agent Three?"

"Right."

"Okay," Marina said before Pearl could pipe up. "We'll just be over here."

Marina took a few steps away, guiding Pearl by the shoulders as she did so. Lucky did the same, gesturing for Polyp to follow him. Just out of earshot, the two of them turned away from Pearl and Marina.

"I'm sorry." Polyp said, quickly and quietly. "They're both unsure of your intentions."

Lucky waved it off and shrugged. "It's fine. Musicians hate me."

"So what is this about?"

Lucky took a long moment to inhale and exhale. Gratitude normally wasn't in his nature. "I wanted to thank you. You did my job when I couldn't."

"You saved my life, and the Captain's. It's-"

"It's a bigger deal than it seems." Lucky interrupted, his cheeks going red and his tentacles rapidly shifting in color. "What _you_ did, not what I did. You saved Inkopolis, and you kept me from hurting people. If it hadn't been for you, who knows what could have happened." Polyp remained quiet, her face downturned. "You're one of us now, no matter what happens. I'd totally get it if you wanted to forget about all this and move on with your life. But if you decide that you want to be an Agent, I promise, you'll be welcome here."

Polyp eventually looked back up at Lucky. "I don't know what to say."

Lucky shrugged half-heartedly. It was his turn to look away. "If you ever need anything, _anything_ at all, let me know, okay? I'm not rich or famous like your friends over there, but I'll help however I can. It's the least I can do." After a moment, Lucky extended his hand.

Polyp shook it. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_ , Polyp. I, ah… Hope you find whatever it is you're looking for, up here in Inkopolis."

* * *

Lucky threw open the door to his apartment and exhaled as he stepped in. _Damn_ , it was good to be home. Everything was _exactly_ where he had left it, and the apartment was _absolutely_ filthy. _I'll clean it later,_ he decided.

His duffel bag hit the top of the coffee table, and his rear hit the couch. It was quite possibly the most comfortable Lucky had been in his entire life. The peace of sitting on his own in the dark, after a long time spent underground with the constant hum of power and the rattle of the railway, was a surreal experience. It almost felt like some kind of fever dream. Lucky was half-expecting the Cap'n to shake him awake back in the underground.

He was incredibly relieved when, after a few minutes, that never happened. He wanted to close his eyes and sleep for a week or two but knew that there was at least one thing he had to do first. With a grunt, he pulled himself forward and pulled his phone and charger from his bag. His phone had been dead for almost two days, and before that, it was entirely impossible to get a signal in the underground.

Managing to stand himself up, Lucky plugged his phone in and threw himself back down on the couch. Twisting around, he fished his TV's remote out from between the cushions, flicked it on, and dropped it again. Some kind of documentary was on, but it was just background noise as Lucky yawned, stretched, and buried his face in his arms.

He only needed a little bit of juice in his phone, and then he could make a call. _In the meantime_ , a couple winks of sleep wouldn't hurt anybody…

Yawning and sitting up, Lucky knew that he was absolutely wrong. As he stood, he glanced over at his phone, and its face glowed dimly, showing him a _100%_ reading. A dreadful feeling welled up his gut, and he picked it up and turned it on. It took a moment to quit showing logos and making sound effects, but when it did, missed calls, texts, and even _emails_ started sweeping over his screen.

Lucky breathed out a curse as the notifications kept coming. With a sigh, he scanned through them all and realized that nearly all of them came from an unregistered number that he recognized all too well. He dialed it up and shook his head. Somebody eventually picked up.

"Hello?" came the garbled voice, sounding incredibly irritated.

"Hey, it's me," Lucky said.

The voice suddenly came through clearly and sounded suspiciously like Marie. "It took you long enough. We called a dozen times. We've got a situation."

"What's going on?"

"Octolings," was all Marie said. The line went silent for a moment.

"What do you mean, octolings?" Lucky prompted.

"A bunch of them just showed up. They're unarmed, and kind of confused. You need to get here."

"Alright, I'll-" _Click_.

Lucky's entire body sagged. Glancing at his phone, he realized it was just a little past 2 in the morning. He didn't even _know_ what time it was when he got home. What he _did_ know, was that he felt like fish crap, and he was gonna give _someone_ an earful. Maybe Callie or Marie, for calling him, or maybe those octolings for showing up so _damned_ late.

Lucky didn't bother to change clothes. He wasn't even sure if he had a clean outfit, anyway. Slinging his duffel bag over his shoulders, Lucky locked his apartment up and made his way to the nearest Agency access point.

* * *

When Lucky arrived, everybody was jammed into the interrogation observing room. The first thing that Lucky noticed, besides the dark, was that the Cap'n was napping peacefully in the corner. Everyone else was huddled against the one-way mirror. Callie, Marie, Renette, and Pearl all watched as Polyp and Marina talked to a squad of octolings, wearing nothing but skivvies.

"What's the news?" Lucky asked quietly, stepping up behind Pearl to get a clear view.

"These four turned up in the subway," Callie said, inclining her head. "They just got dumped out onto the tracks, half-naked and with no idea where they were."

"No idea of anything," Marie added. "Total amnesia."

" _Almost_ total," Pearl corrected. "They all say they came looking for Eight."

"Any collateral?" Lucky asked, watching as one of the octolings gestured wildly.

"No. A maintenance worker found them and called the emergency lines, but we managed to intercept it. Agent Four rounded them up and talked the worker down."

"Nice," Lucky pretended not to notice as Renette wiggled, pleased by the praise.

The room fell silent as Marina nodded to the octolings and left the interrogation cell, leaving the brightly lit room and stepping out into the hallway. The observation room door opened a moment later, and Marina entered. Polyp remained, appearing to listen intently as the others took turns speaking.

"What's the word, Marina?" Pearl asked before the door was even closed.

"Nothing new," Marina said, crossing her arms and shaking her head sadly. "We've pressed for every detail we can, and they've all said the same thing, over and over." Her fingers drummed against her arms, and she shifted her footing. "They don't remember anything except a bright light and Agent Eight's face." A moment went by, and Marina added, "And a song."

"The Calamari Inkantation," Lucky said, stroking his chin.

"Exactly."

Lucky didn't want to say what he was about to say, and he had spent a while thinking about it. "Could they be lying?"

Pearl and Marina both gave him a look, of varying levels of dirtiness.

"I don't think they are," Marina said in a tone that didn't welcome a response.

Lucky chewed the inside of his cheek to shut himself up. While he still had _plenty_ to say, he had decided a while ago that this wasn't quite the hill he was willing to die on. Beside him, Callie whispered something into Marie's ear, and they both stepped away from the window. Three kept his eyes fixed on the scene in the cell, but he heard them rouse the Cap'n from his sleep. The three of them muttered together, low and unintelligible.

Meanwhile, Polyp seemed like she wasn't making any headway at all. The frustration in the room was palpable. One of the nameless octolings drummed her fingers agitatedly, and another slumped in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. Lucky felt for Polyp; he had never been very good at communicating with octolings, on the few occasions when he wasn't trying to assault them. Maybe she was better at it than he was, considering she _was_ an octoling. These four could just be particularly difficult. Or maybe the whole situation was just terrible.

Suddenly, Polyp stood from her seat. She looked at each octoling opposite her, said something to them, and almost as one, they all nodded. Polyp stepped away from the table and opened the door. She stepped out into the hallway, and in another moment, she was in the interrogation room, arms crossed as she stared off into the distance.

"Any luck?" Marina asked eventually. There was a certain hopefulness in her voice.

That broke Polyp out of her haze. She shook her head and frowned. "No. They've said the same few lines over a dozen times. They're adamant about this."

Pearl, Marina, and Polyp talked quietly amongst themselves. Lucky decided not to eavesdrop, and instead, watched the octolings. One of them, the irritated finger-drummer, let her head rest on the table. Lucky could practically _feel_ the exhaustion coming off of her. One, who hadn't drawn any attention to himself before, stood and stretched, bouncing energetically on his feet. They all seemed to be speaking in low whispers, glancing between one another. The ceiling-watcher suddenly looked downward, gazing balefully at the mirror. His eyes flicked between different spots on it, and Lucky knew that he knew that he and his compatriots were being watched. Their eyes _almost_ met, and Lucky decided to turn away from the glass, giving them what little privacy they had.

"I'm excited," Renette whispered, leaning close to Lucky.

"I'll bet," He said to her, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. "You did good finding them."

"Thanks!"

Lucky turned and watched as Pearl, Marina, and Polyp closed ranks in a tight triangle. He leaned closer to them to better listen.

"They seem to want to stay, at least," Marina told Pearl.

"So, what are we going to do?" Pearl asked.

"Help them get settled," Marina replied. She looked at Polyp and smiled winningly.

Polyp gave Pearl and Marina a grateful smile. "I hope we can."

Pearl gave Lucky a sideways look and jerked her thumb at him. "I bet the Agency'll have something to say about that."

Lucky couldn't help but grin. "Sure will." He said with a shrug. "It's our job to keep everyone miserable, after all." He glanced at the four octolings in the interrogation cell. "We'll have them at a job they hate in no time." Simply to keep the bit going, he pointed at each individual octoling. "He's gonna be flipping burgers, she's gonna be a turf war attendant, she's gonna fold sweaters, and he's gonna mop floors in a theatre."

"As if!" Pearl shouted, going stiff from anger. She stabbed a finger into Lucky's chest. "If you think we're gonna let-"

Callie coughed loudly and yanked Lucky back by the shoulder. "If you're done riling up our new friends, Three, we've got something to discuss."

"The second one doesn't look like a people person, anyway," Marie quipped, to no one in particular. "If anything, _she'd_ be the grill jockey."

"What was your plan, Callie?" Marina asked with hands clasped at her waist. "We'll help however we can."

"We were hoping you'd say that," Marie said.

"Agent Three, Agent Four," Callie began, suddenly sounding very businesslike. "I need you two to round up a few things for our octoling guests. A new change of clothes, sleeping bags, food or water if they need it. They're going to be staying in holding, for now, so get that prepped. You two will be staying with them. Dismissed."

Lucky sighed and sidled past Pearl and Marina to exit the room. Renette was on his heels, and she closed the door behind her.

"What do you think their plan is?" Renette asked as they walked. "Sounds like it's gonna be lots of work."

"I'm not entirely convinced they didn't cook it up just to torture me," Lucky said with a shrug. "Sounds like a whole lot of babysitting to me."

"I used to babysit so I could buy clothes."

Lucky shot her a sidelong glance. "Then hopefully you'll be doing more of it than I will."

"I think it'll be fun to hang out with all those octolings," Renette replied. "I've never been able to talk to one before. Not even Marina." Huffing, Renette puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. "I was at an Off the Hook concert once and I never even got her autograph."

"Well, it sounds like you'll have plenty of time to get one now."

"Ohhhh, hey, you're right! Pearl and Marina are totally part of the team now!"

They arrived at storage, and Lucky punched in the keycode. The lock chirped, the door unlatched, and he pulled it open. Renette stepped in before him and made a beeline for the clothing locker.

"What sizes do you think they wear?" She asked, a little louder than necessary.

"How should I know?" Lucky replied, shaking his head at Renette's back. He made his way over to a shelf that was stocked full of camping supplies and started stuffing them underneath his arms. "Just pick something big. Better for them to be baggy than have to come and get another set." Six rolled-up sleeping bags barely clutched in his arms, Lucky shuffled to the door and turned to Renette, who was still sorting through uniforms. "I'm gonna drop these off at holding. I'll meet you back at the interrogation cell. Make sure to lock up, okay?"

"Okay!" came the response.

Lucky considered that good enough, and he left Renette to her own devices. The holding room was a brisk walk away, and he had to go past the interrogation room to get there. Slowing down as he passed, Lucky pressed his ear to the observation room and heard muffled voices, indistinguishable as they were. _Still there, huh_? Shaking his head, Lucky moved on and eventually found himself looking at a very plain door that had a small sign beside it. It read " _Holding_ ", but had a light layer of dust on top of it.

Lucky eventually managed to open the door with his elbow, and he stepped in. Tossing his cargo down on the floor, Lucky's hand swept along the wall for a light switch, and he eventually found it. Flicking the light on, he was as underwhelmed as he always was when he was in the holding room.

Its name may have implied that it was some kind of cell or temporary housing. At least, that's what Lucky had thought when he first heard it. Instead, it was just a giant storage closet. In one corner was a small stack of plastic and metal chairs, and in another was a small wall of neatly stacked cardboard boxes, filled with who knows what. The only thing that wasn't unimpressive about the room was its size; the thing was bigger than Lucky's apartment. There was _just_ enough room for everyone to toss and turn without kicking each other.

His job done, Lucky left the holding room and made his way back to the interrogation room. Renette was there, waiting for him. Her arms were full, layered with uniforms. Lucky knew they were a little on the heavy side, and Renette tottered with their weight as she stepped away from the door, clearly wanting Lucky to open it for her.

"You could have gone in by now, you know," he told her instead.

She was silent for a long moment. "I was nervous," she replied, her voice muffled underneath a thick sleeve.

"Nervous?" Lucky feigned shock. "Of the amnesiac octolings? I thought you were excited."

"Can't I be both?"

Lucky grinned and shook his head. He gestured for Renette to follow him in as he opened the door and stepped inside.

All of the octolings turned to look at them. The one nearest slid her chair back, several steps away from the door.

"Okay, ladies and gents," Lucky said, squaring his shoulders and standing on the balls of his feet. "New clothes, courtesy of Squidbeak. Change whenever." Glancing at Renette from the corner of his eyes, he inclined his head towards the octolings.

It took her a moment, but it clicked in her head. Stepping forward, Renette set the bundle of clothing down on the table and stepped back. Nobody moved.

Sighing internally, Lucky coughed to get everyone's attention. "You'll all be staying here for the time being. If you're hungry, thirsty, or need anything else, now's the time to speak up." The room was dead silent for a moment before the distinct growl of a stomach broke the quiet. "Agent Four, can you get food and water? Enough for everyone."

"Huh?" Renette asked, as if she hadn't been paying attention. "Oh, yeah, sure thing, Lucky!"

She left the room, slamming the door behind her before Lucky could reprimand her for using his _real_ name. It fell silent again, and this time, Lucky felt the weight of everyone's gaze on him. Suppressing a shrug, he seated himself in a chair across from the octolings, before realizing that none of them were really dressed.

He cleared his throat and inclined his head at them. "Do any of you want me to leave..?" He glanced between the clothes and the octolings for emphasis. None of them answered for a moment.

"No, we're fine." One of the young women said.

Lucky was almost worried that all of the octolings were shy, for a moment. That fear was dispelled when one of them, an energetic boy with bright eyes, snatched a pair of shorts and stood, tugging them on over his underclothes.

"So what's going on?" he asked as he dressed.

Lucky was taken aback by the straightforward question. "Well, seeing as it's…" Taking a moment, Lucky glanced at his phone. "Half past three, everyone's gonna be hitting the sack soon. Like I said, you'll all be staying here for the night. Agent Four and I will be staying with you to make sure your needs are met. You'll be properly briefed in the morning."

"Briefed?" the same woman who had spoken before asked. "So you have some kind of plan? What's going to happen?"

Lucky coughed gently and looked away from her. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that yet." Lucky was taken aback again, this time by the look on her face. She wasn't upset, or irritated, but _disheartened_. "Look… I understand if you're all anxious. We'll get you a good night's - er, _morning's_ rest, and then we'll get everything sorted." Standing, Lucky stepped to the door and nodded. "I'm gonna see what's happening higher up the chain, and I'll pass it down to you. Gonna try and get all of you out of here soon. I'm sure you're all exhausted."

Lucky exited the room and closed the door behind him. Callie was waiting for him right outside, and he spat out a curse, recoiling from her. Crossing her arms, she cocked an eyebrow at Lucky.

" _Ink me_ , don't sneak up on a guy like that, Callie." Lucky breathed.

"What's goin' on, Three?" she asked. "How are our guests?"

"Getting antsy," Lucky replied. "and I'm tired, so can we get them out of there? Unless you have another plan that you want to keep me out of the loop on."

"I've got a few, but that's beside the point. Chatting up our guests? Hear any juicy rumors?"

'"I heard that it's bedtime," Lucky retorted with a yawn. "We done, or what?"

Rolling her eyes, Callie began walking away, waving over her shoulder as she went. "Yeah, we're done. Take good care of our guests. Meeting in the morning, so don't be late!"

"Well, that's great." Lucky muttered, turning back to the door and throwing it open. The room's occupants all looked at least mildly surprised at his entrance. He even caught one of them pulling their new shirt on. "Good news. You're out of here. If you'll follow me, everyone can grab some grub and get some sleep."

"About time…" somebody mumbled, though Lucky didn't catch who.

Lucky stepped away from the door and motioned for everyone to follow him. They all stood, shuffling awkwardly around the mess of chairs, and filed out of the room. Lucky started towards their destination, waving the octolings on behind him.

"Holding's down this way." He said. Turning to address them, Lucky walked sideways and talked at the same time. "If anybody's gotta use the bathroom, now's the time to say so."

Nobody spoke up at first, and Lucky thought that was that. He turned away from them and kept walking.

"I need to use the bathroom," someone squeaked.

Lucky stopped and looked over his shoulder. Everybody stepped away from the speaker, her arms wrapped around her own torso as she stared at the ground. Lucky noted that it was the first time he had heard her speak.

"Oh, okay. No problem. Just a second." Lucky said. Turning away, he cupped his hands around his mouth and took a deep breath. " _Agent Four_!"

Around the corner, Lucky heard something clatter to the floor, and a panicked voice muttering to itself.

"H-Hang on!" came Renette's response. There were a few moments of what sounded like scraping, and then quick footsteps. Renette appeared around the corner a moment later, a backpack slung over her shoulder and visibly weighing her down. "What's up?"

Crossing his arms, Lucky shot Renette a curious look. "What's in the bag, Four?"

"Food!" She said excitedly, swinging it around so she could unzip it. "I didn't know what everyone would like, so I grabbed _a bunch_ of stuff."

Leaning in, Lucky could tell that she had grabbed an absurd amount of food. He considered telling her to put it back but realized that there were more pressing matters. With a sigh, he extended an arm and gestured for her to hand it over.

"Give it here. I've got something for you to do." Lucky told her, standing aside and gesturing at the octolings. "Somebody's gotta use the head. Take her there, okay? We'll see you back at holding."

"Yeah, sure!" Renette replied, stepping away from the group. She gestured for someone to follow her, even though Lucky was absolutely certain that she didn't know _who_ she was walking to the bathroom. The octoling in question stepped out of the group and followed her. Renette bombarded the poor girl with questions as they went.

Hefting the backpack, Lucky shrugged. _Breakfast, I guess_. Glancing over his shoulder, he gestured for the group to continue.

"Alright, c'mon," he said, and he started walking again. "Just over here."

They followed Lucky around the corner. The holding room was right there, door half open, lights leaking out into the dim hallway. Lucky nudged the door open with his foot and stepped back. He gestured for the octolings to enter, and after a moment they all shuffled in. He stepped in after them and set the backpack full of food down beside the doorway.

"It smells like dirt in here."

Chuckling, Lucky shrugged and leaned against the wall. "Yeah, it does that." He gestured to the sleeping bags on the floor. "Go ahead and make your beds." Bending down, Lucky grabbed the backpack and carried it to the center of the room. He unzipped it and set it down, before stepping away. "Grab some grub if you're hungry, too. Got a busy morning, you might as well eat now."

There was a bit of grumbling, too low for Lucky to hear, but everyone seemed content to unpack a sleeping bag and claim their spot in the room. Lucky was surprised when they didn't bunch up and instead spread themselves as thin as they could. What _didn't_ surprise him was the fact that they all placed themselves as far away from his as possible. They set up at their own pace, to Lucky's bemusement. He had always figured that octolings were uptight and disciplined. He had images of the whole lot of them in a line, sleeping bags neatly laid out in the blink of an eye, reminiscent of the old training reels from the Great Turf War.

The energetic one was the first to finish laying his bag out, and he was by far the closest of the three. Looking satisfied, he came over and crouched by the bag. He looked curiously at it, before glancing at Lucky.

"Any recommendations?" He asked in a way that seemed far too plain for the situation they were in. As if they _weren't_ in an underground fortress, as if he _wasn't_ an amnesiac octoling who had washed up on a railroad track.

Unable to suppress a grin, Lucky shrugged. "Avoid anything that says 'shrimp' on it. I don't know what they put in there, but it definitely _isn'_ t shrimp."

"Thanks!" Came the reply, and he walked back to his sleeping bag with some kind of meal bar.

The other two eventually came over, though both of them looked warily at Lucky as they did so. The room was, unsurprisingly, tense and awkward. The energetic octoling, parked against the wall to Lucky's left, seemed like the only one in the room who didn't harbor some kind of resentment against him. The three of them ate quietly, with varying levels of gusto. One of them, the only young woman in the room, made a sour face and chewed grumpily. Glancing at her hand, Lucky couldn't help but smirk.

"I warned you," he said, eyeing the can of shrimp and noodles in her grip.

She glared at him and took another angry bite as if to spite him.

Lucky wanted to laugh but bit his tongue instead. All the octolings seemed to hate him, and it probably wouldn't get any better if they started to think he was mocking them. Just to busy himself, he took the backpack, closed it up, and put it in an unoccupied corner.

Lucky perked up as footsteps and chatter grew loud in the hallway. The fact that he only really heard one voice wasn't lost on him, and as Renette and her charge entered, it was clear that whatever conversation they were having was one-sided. The octoling, her head downturned, walked to the far wall of the room, put her back to the wall, and slid down to the floor. Renette, seemingly unaware of whatever stress she may have caused the poor girl, picked out her sleeping bag and unrolled it. She was a few paces to Lucky's right, nestled into the corner.

The room was quiet again, and it _almost_ felt comfortable. The shy octoling curled up on herself, looking absolutely miserable. Lucky couldn't quite blame her. Sighing, he picked up her sleeping bag and stepped a few paces closer to her, leaving ample room between the two of them. Still, her eyes were fixed to the floor at her toes.

Lucky wanted to say something to get her attention but honestly had no clue how to address her. He stood there, in the middle of the room, for more than a few seconds, and realized that a least a few pairs of eyes were on him.

"Hey, sea snail," Lucky blurted out, trying to sound like he wasn't acting under immense pressure.

It took the octoling in question a moment to realize he was talking to her, and she looked up at him.

"Catch," He told her, raising the sleeping bag for emphasis. He waited a moment, just to make sure he didn't bean her with the thing, and then tossed it to her.

She caught it, muttered something Lucky couldn't make out, and unrolled it. Instead of lying in it, she pulled it up around her shoulders and turned away.

Lucky stepped away from her and glanced around the room, doing a quick headcount. _Grumpy boy, grumpy girl, shy girl, energetic octo, energetic squid…_ Everyone was accounted for, and Lucky felt like he was good to close up shop. He went over and closed the door, before turning around to address the room.

"Okay, everyone settled in?" He asked, fists on his hips. When no one answered, he took it as an affirmative. "Great. It's lights out, then. Got a busy morning, so, everyone should get some shuteye."

Lucky flipped the switch, and the room went dark. A small strip of light leaked through the long window on the door, but the room was otherwise dark and still. Lucky heard a lot of shuffling as the room's occupants made themselves comfortable. He waited for a moment, listening carefully for anything that could possibly be considered suspicious, but heard nothing but fabric and breathing. Satisfied, he spent a moment flailing in the dark as he felt around for his own sleeping bag. Once he had it laid out, right in front of the door, he tucked himself in and hunkered down for what he was _certain_ was going to be a sleepless night.

Lucky was amazed when he realized he had blacked out for at least a few minutes. He was less amazed when he realized _why_ he had woken up. The sore spot on his head was surely going to give him a headache later.

"Oh my goodness, I'm _so_ sorry!" Came the half-shouted, half-whispered apology from the other side of the door. Lucky rose and rubbed the top of his head, kicking his bed away as he opened the door fully. To his surprise, Polyp was on the other side, a sleeping bag clutched in her hands and a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"What's, uh, what's going on..?" Lucky asked groggily, cocking an eyebrow at Polyp.

"I decided to stay the night here, with all of you," She replied, sounding almost embarrassed. "If you and Four are both here with our friends, it's only right that I am, too."

Even in his semi-conscious state, Lucky figured that Polyp had a point. "Oh, ah, yeah, okay. Come on in, join the slumber party." He stepped aside and flicked the light on. Everyone groaned and shielded their face as the lights came on, but did so quickly enough to assure Lucky that they were all at least as awake as he was. "Make yourself at home."

Polyp made her way to the very center of the room and set herself up right there. When Lucky thought she was adequately settled, he shut the door and turned the lights off. The ache in his head hadn't really settled yet, and he was hoping it wouldn't if he got himself to sleep quickly. He tucked himself back into his bag and screwed his eyes shut.

"Good night, everyone," Polyp said softly, sounding as if she was already drifting off to sleep.

To Lucky's surprise, she was met with a low chorus of _good nights_ in return. Even more surprising was the fact that Lucky heard his own voice in there.

Then, the only sound was a steady, rhythmic breathing, with every inhale and exhale almost perfectly synced up.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucky groaned as somebody shook him awake. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he swatted their hands away made a disgruntled noise at them.

" _C'mon,_ " they whined, their silhouette hopping up and down frantically. "I gotta pee!"

That woke Lucky right up, and he dragged himself to his feet as quickly as his half-asleep body would allow. "Ink me, okay, don't make a mess."

Lucky kicked his 'bed' away and pulled the door open, motioning for the antsy octoling to follow him. He closed the door after them and started walking towards the head. The overhead lights kicked on, blinding Lucky and his companion. Glancing back, Lucky recognized his plus one as the energetic octoling boy. He was the shortest of the lot, nearly half a head shorter than Lucky. He had a head of tentacles that were messy and poofy. _And just absolutely weird to look at._ The most striking thing about him, however, were his eyes. They were quite possibly the brightest, bluest set of eyes Lucky had seen in his life.

But it was very hard to take the octoling seriously, considering he was doing the potty dance. The bathroom was in sight now, and Lucky hoped that he wasn't going to need to get out the mop for this. He gestured down the hall and motioned for the octoling to go ahead.

"That's it, right there. Go ahead," Lucky said.

The words had barely left Lucky's mouth as his companion bolted for the door, practically diving inside. Lucky stopped outside the door and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. From inside, he heard a great sigh and running water.

 _Gross_.

Lucky waited there for a minute or two before he heard the faucet running. _At least he's washing his hands._

"Have we met before?"

The question caught Lucky off guard. "What?"

"I feel like we've met before. You seem familiar."

"Do you remember us meeting?"

The door to the bathroom swung open, and the octoling stepped out, shrugging and shaking his head. "Nope! I was hoping you would. I just _feel_ like I've seen you before."

"I mean, it's a possibility, I guess?" Lucky said. "I've seen _a lot_ of octolings."

The boy hummed in thought, wagging a finger at Lucky as he did so. "I think I know you. Not like I know Polyp, but I mean, like, the clothes and everything..."

Lucky shrugged at him. "Don't know what to tell you. These are Squidbeak standard. Could be me or Four you're trying to remember."

"Oh well," the octoling said eventually, throwing his arms up in defeat. "It's probably not that important, right?'

" _Right_ …"

They stood there for a moment, silently staring at each other.

"I'm Randal! It's nice to meet you, Lucky."

Sighing, Lucky put his face in his hand. "Remembered that from earlier, did you?" Randal gave him a nod and Lucky couldn't help but grin. "Alright, fair enough." He extended his hand. "I'm Agent Three, Squidbeak Splatoon. Also Lucky Charm. Good to meet you, Randal."

"Randal Urswick." his companion replied, taking his hand and shaking it vigorously.

"So, you remember your name, huh?" Lucky asked, bringing a hand up to his chin.

"Yeah. It'd be weird if I didn't know my own name, wouldn't it?"

"Do your friends all know theirs?"

"Dunno."

Lucky sighed again. He wasn't _expecting_ to get much out of Randal, but he was definitely _hoping_. "Oh well. We'll figure it out later, then. Come on, back we go."

The walk back to holding was quick and quiet, but significantly less tense than the last few. Randal didn't have anything to say but seemed strangely energetic, moving with a certain pep to his step. As they came up to holding, Lucky turned and motioned for Randal to stay quiet. Randal gave him a nod and a thumbs up. Satisfied with that, Lucky opened the door slowly and waved his companion in. Randal crept in, carefully stepping over Lucky's sleeping bag, and set about tucking himself in.

Lucky took a moment to glance around the room. He could just barely make out the silhouettes of everyone in the room. They all seemed to be out cold save for Polyp, who turned over in her sleep and mumbled incoherently. Her face, suddenly illuminated from the lights in the hall, scrunched up. Lucky stepped to the side, blocking the light and gently closing the door. The _click_ of the knob was quite possibly the loudest in the world, and Lucky cringed as he heard it. As he gathered up his sleeping bag, he glanced around again and was relieved to see that everyone was still asleep. Randal was sound asleep already, slumped on his side in a way that looked incredibly uncomfortable.

Lucky hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath and he let himself exhale. He pulled himself into his sleeping bag, squirming until he found a comfortable position. Laying on his side, Lucky tucked his arm beneath his head and waited for sleep to take him.

* * *

Lucky awoke to a tickle on the outside of his thigh. As the waking world came rushing to him, he heard a familiar tone playing. _Was that the alarm? I don't remember setting one._

"Hit snooze!" Renette whined, pulling her bag up over her face.

With a groan, Lucky slipped his phone from his pocket and glared at the screen, hoping that it would silence itself. To his chagrin, it was a familiar phone number ringing him. Sighing, he clambered awkwardly to his feet, shaking the numbness from them, and took it.

"What's up?" he asked as he stretched the sleep from his limbs.

"How is everything?" Callie asked. "No escapees, I hope."

"You kidding? I set them all loose the moment you left."

"Har har, you're hilarious. We've got Marina and Pearl coming in at ten. Make sure everyone's up and ready by then. I don't want them looking like we dredged them up from a trench when we have the meeting."

"Yeah, got it," Lucky said, looking around the room. Everyone seemed to be in various stages of waking up. "Anything else?"

"Don't be late." _Click_.

" _Right_ ," Lucky muttered, running a hand through his tentacles. Stuffing his phone in his pocket, he turned back to the room. More than a few faces were buried under their covers. "Alright, kids and squids, up and at 'em! Don't make me bust out the horn and play reveille!"

As the sleepiest of faces got up and out of their makeshift beds, Lucky drummed his fingers against his thigh. _Two hours to kill_. There were a few things that could be done to get through that amount of time.

Looking down at his clothes, Lucky remembered that he's been wearing that same clothes for an inordinate amount of time. He shivered as he realized exactly how gross that was. Cleaning himself up suddenly became the priority.

Until Polyp stepped over to him, glancing down at a _remarkably_ shiny phone.

"Marina and Pearl told me that they're going to be here a little early to check up on everyone." Polyp told him, putting her phone away.

Lucky resisted the urge to bring up the brand new phone. "Mighty nice of them." Polyp seemed to deflate a little at Lucky's tone. He put a hand on the back of his head and looked away. "So, they tell you anything else?"

Polyp shook her head and the conversation died. Lucky felt awkward knowing that they had plenty to talk about, but also knew that _actually_ talking about any of it was bound to bring up bad memories.

After several moments of heavy silence, Lucky decided to cut his losses. "Listen, I'm gonna step out for a few minutes. Got to take care of a few things. If you need anything, Four should be able to help."

"Would you mind if I accompanied you?" Polyp asked suddenly.

Lucky was caught entirely off guard. He had to wait for a moment just to make sure he heard it right. "I mean, yeah, if you want to. Hey, Four!"

Renette still looked half asleep as she stumbled over. "What's going on?" She asked groggily.

"Eight and I are heading to storage for a minute," Lucky said. It barely seemed to register with Renette but she nodded nonetheless. "Just make sure nobody wanders off. Food's in the bag if anyone gets hungry enough to eat it." He jerked a thumb towards the backpack in the corner, still stuffed with food. "Back in a few."

Lucky left the room as Renette grumbled a response. Polyp followed him out, and the door closed behind her.

"So, I take it nobody gave you the tour yet?" Lucky asked as he walked. Polyp shook her head and Lucky shrugged. "Alright, well, we're heading to on-site storage. Enough supplies in there to outfit a small army, excluding weapons."

"If you don't mind me asking," Polyp began, shooting Lucky a curious look, "what exactly are we doing?"

"Oh, right. Didn't tell you," Lucky said, almost laughing. He pinched the collar of his shirt and pulled it away from his body. "Getting a new outfit." Looking Polyp up and down, he realized that she was wearing an entirely new set of clothing. It looked _remarkably_ similar to what she was wearing when they were underground, so Lucky came to the immediate conclusion that she was wearing something that belonged to Marina. He suddenly felt almost bashful. "I've been wearing this one for a while."

"Oh," was all Polyp had to say for a long moment. "I didn't even realize. With everything that's happening, you must have been busy. After we finished last night, Marina and Pearl-"

"Took you out and pampered the ink out of you, right?" Lucky asked. Immediately, Lucky felt bashful again, painfully aware of the fact that he just interrupted her. Polyp was quiet for a moment before she gave a nod. Sagging with relief, he waved dismissively. "It's fine, you earned it. I just went home and got some sleep. Came back in as soon as my phone let me take calls."

"I see."

They walked in silence for a moment and reached the storage depot. The heavy metal door stood in a silent vigil, accompanied by its keypad.

"This door needs to stay closed whenever nobody's inside. It locks as soon as it closes, can open from the inside, and is opened with a four-digit code. _One, zero, one, zero_." Lucky punched the code in and the pad chirped at him. With a grunt, he pulled the door open and gestured inside. Polyp stepped in and Lucky followed her.

"That's… Quite an interesting keycode," Polyp said after a moment.

Lucky couldn't help but laugh and shrug. "It's the only one the Cap'n can remember. We changed it once and he spent an hour trying to remember it, so we changed it back. _'How many tentacles a squid has, twice'_. That's how the Cap'n remembers it." Lucky shrugged again. "It's not like we get a lot of visitors who can just sit here and guess codes."

"That's true I suppose," Polyp replied, gazing around the room.

Stepping up to the clothing locker, Lucky opened both doors and searched through the shelves for something in his size. Polyp eventually appeared at his shoulder, and Lucky shuffled to the side and nodded at her.

"We keep Agent-approved clothing in here. I've gone through more than a few sets of these in my time," Lucky said pulling out a shirt and unfolding it. It was bright yellow and black down the sides. "Not gonna lie, these are pretty nice. Probably some of the comfiest clothes I've ever gotten for free." Throwing his new shirt over a shoulder, Lucky paused for a moment and then wagged a finger at his companion. "Y'know, you're more than welcome to grab an outfit or two, if you want. At the very least, it's a keepsake."

Polyp said nothing, but after a moment, tentatively reached for one of the coats on the top shelves. Lucky grinned at her and went back to picking out his own clothes. When everything he needed was draped over his shoulder, Lucky stepped away from the locker and leaned against the doorway. Polyp spent another minute gathering her own clothes before she joined him and they locked the depot.

The walk back to holding wasn't long but it was dead silent. When the door was in sight, Lucky slowed his pace. Polyp noticed a moment later and slowed to match him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Nah, but I've got something else to take care of," Lucky said.

"Where are we going next?"

Clearing his throat and looking at the wall, Lucky said: "I'm gonna hit the showers real quick."

"Oh."

Still avoiding eye contact, Lucky jerked a thumb down the hall. "There's a set of locker rooms down past the conference room with showers. If anything comes up, just come and shout at me."

"I'll see you in a little while, then."

Lucky gave her a little wave and it was returned. He heard the door open and close as he went. The walk to the locker room felt almost lonely. It was still uncomfortably quiet as Lucky strode into the men's' locker room. It was a humble little room, just big enough to serve its purpose. Lockers lined one side of the room, and on the other side were two showers, cut off from the rest of the room by cheap white plastic curtains. There was a door on the far side that Lucky knew led to a tiny bathroom that was little more than a closet with a toilet and a sink.

Ignoring all of that, Lucky stepped over to the first locker on the wall and opened it. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that there was a stack of towels in there, right where they belonged. _Would have put a damper on things if they weren't._ Taking one, Lucky kicked off his shoes and hung his towel on a rack beside one of the showers. He began undressing, stopping only to open up another locker and stow his things away.

Lucky stepped into a shower, pulled the curtain back across, and cranked on the hot water. The first spray was ice-cold, and Lucky felt comfortable shouting an expletive in shock as it washed over him. The water warmed eventually and Lucky washed at a brisk pace. He slowed down as time went on and eventually just wound up lounging under the stream. _Got some time to kill, might as well relax._ _Not like anybody's missing me._ Lucky took the time to stretch and enjoy the peaceful sound of running water.

" _Helloooooo?_ "

Lucky nearly jumped out of his skin. His feet nearly slipped out from under him and his windmilling arms slapped against the wall to steady him. Poking his head out from behind the curtain, Lucky was surprised to see Randal and the other octoling boy standing in the locker room.

"Oh, hey, there you are!" Randal said, giving Lucky a wave.

"What in the _squit_ are you guys doing here?" Lucky asked.

"Showering." the unnamed octoling told him, matching the glare Lucky gave him.

"Polyp told us that you said there were showers and we should all wash up," Randal added.

Lucky put his face in his hand for a moment and wiped the excess water away. "Ink me…" Lucky was _pretty sure_ that he hadn't invited the entirety of Squidbeak Splatoon to the locker rooms, but there was little to be done about it. "Okay, there are towels in the first locker. Don't take too long, we've still got a meeting."

Lucky didn't bother waiting for a response and closed the curtain. With an audience, he had suddenly lost the urge to relax. He gave himself a quick once-over, turned the water off, and snatched his towel off the nearby rack. He dried himself as quickly and thoroughly as he could, considering the fact that he was still in the shower. Satisfied, he wrapped the towel around his waist to preserve his dignity and swept the curtain aside. Not a moment after he stepped out, Lucky heard the other shower start up.

Randal was leaning against one of the lockers, hands tucked into his pockets. He looked up from the floor as Lucky shuffled over to his locker and waved.

"This place is cool," Randal said, pushing off the locker. "Lots of neat stuff."

"You think a locker room is neat?" Lucky asked, peeking at Randal from behind his locker door as he dressed. "Boy, do you impress easy."

"I like it," Randal replied, sounding almost defensive.

Lucky couldn't help but think for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I do too." Pulling his shirt on, he closed the locker and shrugged. "Lots of memories in here."

Randal looked at him, perplexed. "Like… In _here_ , in here?" He asked, gesturing around the room.

"No, not in _here_. In Squidbeak HQ."

"Oh."

They stared at each other for a moment.

Sighing, Lucky pointed at the shower. "You should hop in while you can."

"Oh, right!" The realization hit Randal suddenly and the octoling hurriedly began undressing. "Throw me a towel?"

Lucky grabbed one and tossed it to Randal. He caught it and mumbled his thanks. Looking at him, Lucky was almost surprised at how quickly the octoling had stripped. He decided that it was a _great_ time to leave the room.

"I'll be outside," Lucky said as he turned away. "Don't hurt yourselves now."

Lucky stepped out into the hallway and was surprised to see that no one else was out there. He wasn't quite expecting all of the girls to pile into the locker room at once. _Seems a little crowded_. Eyeing the doors to both rooms, Lucky couldn't help but wonder how long he was going to be waiting for everyone. With seven bodies and four showers, it was bound to be a while.

Sighing, Lucky slumped against the wall and settled in.

* * *

"So, how was your night, everyone?"

Marina was clearly addressing everyone but Renette and Lucky. Pearl was at her side, holding a gigantic paper bag with the Crust Bucket logo on it. They were all in the conference room, with everyone seated in a scattered fashion around the elongated table.

Nobody answered her.

"I had a fine night, thank you," Polyp said eventually.

"That's good. We brought breakfast for everyone." Marina said as she gestured to Pearl.

The short inkling raised the bag for emphasis and then set it down on the table. Everyone was still for a moment, but Randal stood suddenly and reached for the bag. His entire forearm disappeared into it and he felt around for several moments too long, before eventually withdrawing with a wrapped sandwich in hand. The other octolings followed suit until all of them were chowing down. Even Renette snuck forward and snatched something to eat.

Pearl and Marina didn't seem to have anything else to say at the moment, though Lucky had a creeping suspicion that they would as soon as he left the room. Everyone seemed content to eat in silence but Lucky figured that the silence was his best chance to speak.

"So," Lucky began, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could. He leaned forward and swept his eyes around the room. "Our friend Randal told me that he remembered his name and I've got to wonder if anyone else here can say the same." There was an expectant silence in there air. It went unanswered. "Oh, come on. Nobody? If you don't have names you're gonna be stuck with numbers, y'know."

"As if," Pearl said crossly.

"Not like it would matter anyway," The unnamed octoboy added, sounding none too enthused.

"Aw, c'mon Pierce, don't be like that."

The room suddenly went silent again. Every set of eyes swiveled and locked onto Randal who seemed entirely oblivious. He looked up and met the room's gaze eventually, seemingly shocked.

"What did you just say?" Lucky asked, wagging his index finger at Randal.

"I was just telling him not to be so negative," Randal said defensively.

"You called me Pierce," the octoboy added, standing suddenly. Planting both fists on the table, he glared across at Randal. " _Is there something you need to tell me?_ "

"Don't be so negative..?" Randal repeated, both sounding and looking entirely unsure of what was happening.

 _Pierce_ nearly lunged across the table. If it weren't so wide, Lucky thought that he might have been able to cross the distance. The octogirl beside Pierce - _not the shy one_ \- wrapped an arm around his waist and yanked him back. Lucky was almost surprised at her strength. He had no time to think about it as he placed himself between Randal and Pierce, grabbing the former by the scruff of his neck and stabbing a finger at the latter.

" _You_ need to chill!" Lucky barked at Pierce. The octoling simply stared resentfully at him. "And _you_ need to spill the beans." Lucky continued, shaking Randal's shoulder until he turned to him. Lucky pointed at the octoling next to Pierce. "What's her name?"

"Una," Randal replied without missing a beat.

"What about her?" Lucky asked, pointing to the shy octogirl who had nestled herself in the corner of the room.

"Sybil," Randal said.

Releasing Randal, Lucky threw his hands into the air and turned away from him.

"Ink me, Randal," He began, pinching the bridge of his nose and giving a great sigh. "You could have saved all of us _a lot_ of trouble, you know that?"

"I didn't do anything," Was Randal's response, sounding more than a bit defensive.

Lucky turned around and faced the octoling, fists on his hips. "We talked about this. I _asked you_ about this."

"You asked if everyone else knew their names, and I told you that I didn't know."

"What _happened_ doesn't matter," Polyp interjected, clasping her hands together and smiling winningly. "What _does_ matter is that now we know what to call everyone." She gave Randal a deep nod - almost a bow - and gestured around the room. "I'm sure everyone appreciates having a name."

Lucky put his hands up and stepped away, doing his best to avoid seeming confrontational. "Problem solved, I guess. It's all good." Breathing out, Lucky wheeled around and faced everyone. "We're all good, right? Right." He sat himself down and slumped forward onto the table. "Now we wait." He finished, closing his eyes.

"Actually, if it's alright, I wanted to talk to all the octolings," Marina said.

Lucky kept his eyes closed. "By all means, go ahead." He mumbled.

" _Privately_ ," Marina added insistently.

 _I_ just _got comfy,_ Lucky thought petulantly. He opened one eye and looked at Marina, who was nearly wringing her hands. She looked almost nervous. Suddenly interested, Lucky opened his other eye and propped himself up as he gave the DJ a curious look.

"What about..?" Lucky pried, knowing full well that he wasn't going to get an answer.

" _Private_ stuff," Pearl answered for Marina, sounding irate. "Which means ' _beat it'_." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder to the door.

Lucky thought about arguing just for argument's sake, but decided that it was too early in the morning for that. Yawning, he stood up and went to the door. Renette followed after him, looking almost put out.

As they left the room, Lucky lingered, standing halfway out the door when he noticed Marina turn to Pearl.

"Actually…" Marina began quietly, drifting off. "Pearl, I meant… _Just_ us octolings. We're going to be talking about some very… _Sensitive_ biological things, and I think it would be for the best if it was just us."

Pearl looked completely taken aback. She opened her mouth but remained entirely silent.

"Please," Marina said meaningfully.

Whatever Pearl had to say, she swallowed it and nodded dumbly. "Okay." Was the surprisingly mild answer.

The diminutive inkling joined Lucky and Renette in the hallway. Marina faced Pearl and smiled apologetically.

"Thank you, Pearlie," She said. As what seemed like an afterthought, she gave Renette and Lucky a nod of acknowledgment as she closed the door.

The three of them sat in a tense silence for what felt like a long time as indistinct murmurs bled through the door. Renette seated herself on the floor, idly clicking her shoes together. Pearl put herself on the other side of the doorway, several paces away from Renette and Lucky. Her arms were crossed and she wore a stormy look on her face. Lucky, for his part, stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Renette asked eventually.

"None of your business," Pearl said. There was more than a bit of resentment in her voice.

"None of _our_ business," Lucky corrected, trying his best to keep the grin off his face.

Glancing at her from the corner of his eyes, Lucky could tell that Pearl was positively _bristling_. She definitely _wanted_ to say something but remained silent instead. Figuring it would be best not to antagonize her further, Lucky took his phone out and pretended to do something important.

They were stuck out there for about fifteen minutes according to Lucky's phone. The door eventually opened and Marina poked her head out. She gave her best smile and gestured for everyone to come in.

"We're all done," she said. To Pearl, she added "Thanks again. I appreciate it."

Pearl grumbled a response and made a show of pretending not to look upset. Lucky had no doubt that everyone in the room saw right through it. He took back his place at the far end of the room, sitting down with his back against the wall. Renette sat down next to him and her head rests in her arms. Glancing around the room, Lucky saw Marina and Pearl talking to Randal and Sybil, though the latter seemed reluctant to participate. Polyp was speaking with Pierce, while Una stood by, her arms crossed and her expression bored.

Lucky took the chance to size up the rest of the octolings properly. Pierce glanced in his general direction first and in doing so caught Lucky's attention. He had the same leanness to him that all octolings did but seemed particularly thin. Gaunt, even. Like the others, he was also shorter than Lucky, though not noticeably so. His tentacles were cropped short, and the sides of his head were nearly shaved clean. His eyes were brown and Lucky noticed that he had a tendency to avoid eye contact, often looking _past_ others instead of at them. What stood out the most to Lucky, however, was the tension in his frame. It seemed like he was ready to spring on somebody at a moment's notice.

Una was next, if only because of her proximity to Pierce. She was simply the biggest of the octolings in all senses of the word. She seemed to be just a hair's breadth shorter than Lucky and, while still a little thin by inkling standards, was the most well-built of the bunch. If any of them could pass for an inkling, it was probably going to be her. _Stick a cap on her and she's golden._ Her tentacles were tied behind her head in a utilitarian ponytail, and barely reached the back of her neck. She had bright yellow eyes that contrasted with how disinterested she seemed to be with everything she looked at.

On the other side of the room, Randal gestured wildly, prompting a laugh from Marina and the closest thing to a smile Pearl seemed able to muster. Sybil flinched away from him and stepped to the side, putting Marina halfway between herself and Randal.

Sybil herself was only just barely taller than Randal and quite possibly the thinnest of the bunch. While all of the others seemed to have fairly firm muscle definition, Sybil looked like she was made almost entirely of ink. Her uniform, quite probably the smallest size they had in stock, still looked like it was at least two sizes too big for her. Her eyes, a dark green, were almost always downcast or avoiding contact with someone else's. Her tentacles were long and messy, spilling down onto her back and nearly hiding her upper half behind a curtain of pink. _The way she looks and acts, she's liable to disappear against a wall._

Lucky suddenly seemed to catch Sybil's gaze, and she looked away a moment later, her entire jawline disappearing into the collar of her coat. Lucky looked back to the other side of the room if only to avoid getting caught staring again.

Una and Pierce were both taking turns speaking now, while Polyp listened intently. She saw Lucky looking her direction from the corner of her eyes and turned to give him a small nod and a smile before joining back into the conversation.

Lucky wanted to say that he saw a bit of himself in Polyp, if only because the both of them were so physically plain. Her eyes were pink, and her tentacles were in a neat bob that almost perfectly matched those of the plethora of octolings Lucky had come across in his career. She sat comfortably in between Pierce and Una when it came to height. What stood out most wasn't how she looked, but how she seemed to hold herself. Indeed, if she had the _I'll kick your ass_ attitude that Octavio's troopers did, Lucky probably wouldn't be able to pick her out of a lineup.

 _Squit, I think that makes me racist._

Looking away from the rest of the room, Lucky slumped forward and let his head rest on his forearms. The chatter faded into the background as Lucky shut everyone out and let himself relax. It seemed to work for a while, and nobody wanted to talk to him or prod him for information. Lucky wasn't sure exactly how much time passed while he sat like that but it seemed like more than it should have. _They're late._

Eventually, somebody nudged Lucky's side and he lifted his head. Renette gave him a little wave and gestured towards the front of the room. Looking up, Lucky saw that Callie and Marie had finally arrived. Sitting straight up, Lucky crossed his arms and waited for something to happen.

"Thanks for waiting, everyone," Callie said, gesturing around the room. "Sorry we're late, we had to make an extra stop."

Marie poked her head out of the doorway and waved somebody in. "Come on in, Gramps. Everyone's waiting for you."

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" Cap'n Cuttlefish said as he shuffled into view. "Mornin' Squidbeak Splatoon."

Lucky perked up as the Cap'n came into the room. He wasn't expecting to see the old squid for a while. Lucky had figured that the Cap'n would spend quite a while holed up in his shack, napping the stress of the underground escapade away. Lucky noticed that he had traded in his green tracksuit for a blue one, and rolled his eyes at the Cap'n's new taste in clothes.

"What's popping, Craig?" Pearl asked, flashing the Cap'n a smile and a welcoming gesture.

 _Did she really just use the Cap'n's first name?_

"I'll have you know that nothing's _popped_ in well over a week, young lady!" The Cap'n replied, shaking his cane at her. Both Pearl and Marina smiled at him.

"Good to know," Marina said.

Lucky felt a twinge of something and fought the urge to say something snarky. _Definitely not jealous. Not in a million years._ Instead, he chewed his tongue while the Cap'n hobbled over and seated himself an arm's span away. Callie and Marie both seemed preoccupied talking to Pearl and Marina, so Lucky turned in his seat and looked at the Cap'n.

"Morning, Cap," Lucky said, giving a casual salute.

"Good morning, whippersnapper!" Cuttlefish replied with a nod.

"Hi, Cap'n!" Renette interjected, leaning behind Lucky to shoot the Cap'n a grin.

"Hello to you too, Four! I can't wait to hear what you'n Marie got up to while me'n Three we're gone."

Everything felt fine again, and Lucky relaxed in his seat. "It sure is nice to be home again."

"I'll say! It's been so long since I saw home that the whole place seems different. I must have lost weight because the whole place feels bigger!" The Cap'n said with a nod.

Lucky cocked an eyebrow at the withered Cuttlefish and bit back a grin. _Callie and Marie must have done some renovations while we were away._ "Maybe. You got that healthy glow going on."

"Do I, now? I will say, I've felt better than ever these past few days."

Lucky had more to say, but stopped as the four pop stars at the front of the room broke off from their group.

"So I'm sure you've all been wondering what's supposed to be going on," Callie said, putting her hands on her hips. "Wonder no more! It's time we let you all in on the plan."

"If anyone doesn't want to stay here in Inkopolis, now is the time to speak up," Marie added. Nobody moved. "Okay. Go ahead." She nodded to Marina.

"The four of us spent most of the night going over the possibilities. As a group, we decided that getting you comfortable in inkling society should be priority number one. Now that we have your names, I can start filing your paperwork, so you don't need to worry about not having an identity." Marina began, hands clasped at her waist. "Pearl and I had originally considered taking all of you in ourselves until you were ready to go out on your own, but as we talked with Callie and Marie, we decided that we wouldn't be able to dedicate enough resources to your individual needs."

"Enough time, really," Pearl said, sounding none too thrilled about the whole thing.

"Exactly," Marina replied. "As much as we wish we could, we don't have enough time to give all of you. Not without making _everyone_ in Inkopolis suspicious, which isn't what we want at all. So we're leaning on Squidbeak Splatoon to handle that."

"What do you mean by _'handle_ ' it?" Lucky asked.

"Hold all questions until the end of the presentation, please," Marie told him.

Rolling his eyes, Lucky gestured for them to continue.

"Callie and Marie have agreed to house you and oversee your stay here in Inkopolis, at least until you're all ready to stay on your own."

"And you, Agent Three, have an important role in all of this," Callie interrupted, pointing at him for emphasis.

Lucky was expecting something like this, and he shrugged in response. "What am I doing?"

"Everything," Marie said quietly as if nobody would hear her.

Seeing the look on Lucky's face, Callie swatted Marie's shoulder. "Not _everything_. Just a lot. We want you to oversee day-to-day operations."

"So I'm babysitting?" Lucky asked, crossing his arms.

"Please hold all questions-"

Lucky put his hand up to stop Marie, and with a sigh, gestured for them to continue.

"We already know where you'll be staying for now," Callie said. "We've got a house on the outskirts of Inkopolis, far enough from the city to keep you out of the public eye."

Lucky hummed in thought at this. He knew the house they were talking about but had never been there.

"With housing and money not being an issue, the only real variable is, well…" Marina began, sounding a little unsure. "All of you, and how willing you are to go along with all of this."

"What if we say no?" Pierce asked suddenly. Lucky noted that Marie didn't bother to shush him.

"We have a few ideas, but we're still not sure," Marina said with a frown.

"We think this is a good idea," Pearl added.

"For now, we'd like you to cooperate with us on this. If things really don't work out, then we can work out something else that might suit you better." Marina finished.

"There is one catch, though," Callie said, wagging her finger in the air. "We want you all to join Squidbeak Splatoon."

"It's completely up to you!" Marina hurried to add, gesturing frantically. "We're not forcing you to do anything, but we think it would be beneficial for _everyone_."

"If Eight is anything to go by, I think you'd all make great Agents!" The Cap'n shouted excitedly.

"What about training?" Lucky asked. "We can't really send them into Octo territory since we've shut Octavio down again." _Not to mention, it seemed like it would be in bad taste._

Grinning, Callie stabbed a finger at Lucky. "That's where _you_ come in, Three." _There it was._

"As the senior most active field Agent, yer the most capable and qualified to do hands-on trainin'!" Cap'n Cuttlefish shouted, slapping Lucky on the arm.

"And as a…" Marie began, stopping to look thoughtful. She seemed at a complete loss for words. " _Participating_ member of society, you're _moderately_ capable of helping them adjust."

"What about me?" Renette asked.

"With Four's help, of course."

"Yay!"

"We'll all head out tomorrow morning to get you settled in. Until then, I think Pearl and Marina have plans for you," Callie finished.

"We're going shopping," Marina said, clapping excitedly.

"Y'all need some better clothes if you're gonna fit in around here," Pearl added, gesturing up and down derisively.

 _What's wrong with the uniform?_

"Can't have you all walking around in the exact same outfit every day," Marie said plainly.

Marina nodded. "We're going to get you all outfitted with all the essentials before we head out, so we've got a full day. Does anyone have any questions?"

"Why should we go along with any of this?" Pierce asked resentfully.

The room went silent for a moment. Nobody seemed prepared for such a straightforward challenge to the plan that had been put forward. Lucky had an answer or two but was certain that they would only serve to rile Pierce up even more so he bit his tongue instead. He wasn't too surprised when Polyp stood up to speak while he made the decision to remain seated.

"Because we want to help," Polyp announced meaningfully. "It certainly must seem like a lot to take in, but… I believe what we're doing right now is the best course of action. I think all of us are here for a reason and the only way we can discover what it is, is together. It may be asking a lot from all of you, but I'd like for you to trust me. To trust _us_."

 _Get this girl a podium. She's fit for office._

Polyp's speech seemed to satisfy Pierce, for the time being at least. He looked much less likely to storm off once he was out in the open, and Lucky figured that it was probably for the best. The angry idiot was liable to get himself lost if he did that, and then Lucky would have to track him down.

"Anybody else?" Pearl asked. Her tone didn't welcome a response.

When nobody spoke up, Marina clasped her hands together. "Well, I think that's just about-"

" _Hats!_ " Callie shouted suddenly, looking as though she just had an epiphany. "Make sure you wear hats or hoods! I don't _think_ people are going to freak out if they see that you all have different tentacles, but for the time being, better safe than sorry."

"Okay..." Marina said a moment later, sounding almost perplexed. "We can get hats, no problem. If everyone's ready, I think we can get going."

Callie and Marie didn't protest. Pearl stepped away from the table and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway. Nobody moved to stand up, however, until Polyp looked around and noticed it. She stood and gave the room a winning smile.

"Well, shall we?"

Randal was the first to rise with her, and the others followed immediately after. Marina gave each of them a smile as they stepped past her. Polyp, despite being the first up, was the last to leave. At the threshold, she stopped and turned to Renette and Lucky.

"Will either of you be coming with us?" Polyp asked. She glanced at Marina. "Would that be alright?" She continued, softly this time.

"Yeah, that's fine," Marina answered with a nod. "If you wanted to tag along you can."

"Oh, sure, I'd love to come!" Renette exclaimed hurriedly. Nearly jumping out of her seat, she went over to the door but stopped suddenly. "Oh, but, um, I need to talk to Callie and Marie. I'll be quick, I swear!"

Marina looked at Renette with wide, surprised eyes. "Okay… We'll just be outside, so come join us when you're ready." With that, Marina stepped out of the room and disappeared around the corner.

"What about you, Lucky?" Polyp asked, looking to him expectantly.

Waving the question away, Lucky shook his head and lazily stood. "Nah, I've got a few things to take care of. I'll let all of you have your fun."

Polyp frowned thoughtfully but nodded nonetheless. "I see. Well, I hope you have a good day."

Lucky returned the nod and waved Polyp goodbye as she stepped out of the room.

Cap'n Cuttlefish reached out and caught Lucky's arm as he tried to shuffle past. Making an exasperated noise, the old squid pulled himself to his feet and slapped Lucky on the back.

"Well, Three, are ya ready?" The Cap'n asked.

Lucky gave a grin and a nod. "You know it, Cap'n. I'll have them whipped into shape in no time."

"That's what I like to hear!" Cap'n Cuttlefish exclaimed. Stroking his beard, he poked his cane into Lucky's stomach. "We should head to the shack; I've got some old training programs that could get ya started." Dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, he added: "And some crab cakes to celebrate a job well done."

Lucky's grin only grew. "Sounds like a plan, Cap'n." Thinking for a moment, he frowned. "But, ah, I gotta run a few errands. Is it cool if I swing by later?"

The Cap'n started walking towards the door, and Lucky followed in his wake. "Should be fine. I'll be waitin' for ya!"

Callie and Marie were standing by the door, listening to Renette as she explained something with exaggerated gestures. The Cap'n shuffled past the three of them without a second thought, but Lucky stopped to watch.

"- and I've gotta explain to my roommate, and get out of my lease, and then tell my parents, and-"

Marie put a hand up to stop Renette, who froze with her mouth agape. "Four, _take a breath_." Renette sucked in a deep breath and waited expectantly. "We'll handle it. Tell your roommate you got a promotion and don't worry about your lease. Your rent will get-" Stopping, Marie looked at Renette and sighed. "Breathe _out_ , Four!"

Renette doubled over and gasped. "Y-you'll take care of everything?" She asked between breaths.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Marie nodded. "Yes. Just make sure you're packed and ready to go, okay?"

"Great!" Renette shouted, jumping in place and pumping her fists in the air. "Thanks so much, you guys are the best!" Blinking, she appeared to have an epiphany and rushed past the two of them. " _ThanksagainsorryIgottagobeforetheyleave!_ "

Renette nearly bowled Lucky over as she rushed out the door, and she blurted another apology as she ran. Dusting himself off, Lucky looked at Marie and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Well, she's a live one," Lucky said, crossing his arms.

"She was here," Marie replied with a shrug. "And she did _your_ job."

"She did my job while I was away, doing my job?"

"Well, you should have done your job _better_ and _faster_ ," Callie added with a huff. "If you didn't get lost and brainwashed we wouldn't be housing an entire squad of octolings."

"Maybe you shouldn't bring up brainwashing…" Marie whispered to Callie.

Callie's cheeks went red and her hands balled into fists. "Sh-shut up, Marie! You said you wouldn't bring that up!"

Grinning, Lucky took the bait Marie had put out. "Bring _what_ up?"

Callie wheeled around and jabbed her finger into Lucky's chest. "Don't _you_ start, mister! You've got a lot of making up to do before you have all your privileges back!"

Putting on a hurt face, Lucky put both hands in the air. "What did _I_ do?"

Crossing her arms, Callie took a breath and seemed to calm down. "What do you want?"

"I'm gonna pack up and head for the house tonight. I need keys."

Rolling her eyes, Callie stuck her hand out to Marie. "Keycard."

"I thought you had them."

Callie and Marie exchanged glances and laughed. Lucky was glad that _they_ were having a good time, but he felt a little put out.

"Okay, so you're gonna have to wait on that. We upgraded the locks and got cards for everyone a little while after you and gramps left." Callie told him with a shrug.

"Ink me…" Lucky breathed, putting his face in his hands. "I'm visiting the Cap'n later tonight, can you drop them by the shack?"

"Yeah, we can do that."

Feeling slightly better, Lucky stepped away from the two. Giving them a parting wave, he went out the door, intent on going home and packing.

"Oh, and _Three_?"

There was something about Callie's tone that made Lucky stop dead in his tracks. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Callie with an all-too-familiar grin.

"Do try to relax," Callie told him. She gave him a teasing wave. "You look so _tense_."

"R-Right…" Lucky mumbled, turning away. Almost as an afterthought, he gave another wave over his shoulder as he walked away.

Lucky stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and tucked his chin into his collar. Eyes firmly fixed on the tiled floor, he sank into thought. Making his way through the access tunnel that would spit him out closest to home, Lucky realized that things were finally starting to feel normal again. _It's a good feeling._


End file.
